Monday, March 5, 2012

Women workers launch kick-off march for International Women’s Day celebration

PRESS RELEASE

PALEA Women’s Committee

5 March 2012

Women members of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) joined by Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) held a rally at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Intramuros, Manila to assail the agency’s connivance in the suppression of women workers rights. The protesters will bring female paper dolls with the necks in a noose to highlight the plight of women workers under the present government.

Among the rallyists will be breadwinners, single mothers and widows who are all facing extreme difficulties as PALEA enters its sixth month of a lockout by the Lucio Tan-owned Philippine Airlines (PAL).

“This is our kickoff activity to celebrate March 8, International Women’s Day (IWD),” said Arlene Ladimo of PALEA Women’s Committee.“The DOLE twice affirmed the outsourcing plan of PAL despite its P3 billion profit belieing its claims of losses. After the mass layoff, now going on six months, we have been facing extreme difficulties i.e., sustaining the education of our children, food expenses, water and electricity bills, etc., etc.This is especially tough for us, women, who are single mothers, widows and breadwinners,” Ms. Ladimo explained.

“But, of course, despite the hardship, we will not give up.We will not give up our rights as workers and as women, we will never give up the future of our kids.We are not alone in this fight.We are well aware that we face the same situation together with millions of Filipino women–facing unemployment problems, high prices and lack of social services,” added Ms. Ladimo.

After the rally, several of the PALEA members attended the hearing at the DOLE regarding their illegal suspension by Philippine Airlines for supporting the union picketline.

On Wednesday women members of PALEA and PM will join a march for economic and labor justice that will proceed from UST to Mendiola in Manila. On March 8, PALEA and PM will have another mass action to commemorate International Women’s Day as part of the global activities by women’s groups.

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Our Vision

Our dream is a world that gives due importance to the role of the working class and respects the dignity of labor. A social order where the working men and women of the world live together in peace, harmony and progress.Our aspirations lie in the emancipation of labor. A government that is truly of the workers, by the workers and for the workers.

Our hopes rest in a future where social progress thrives not for the benefit of a few people but for the development and richness of the entire humankind. A society that is free from the chains of wage slavery and where oppression does not exist.

Our Mission

Forge the unity of the workers into an independent working class party to organize them as a potent political force in social transformation towards the advancement and protection of labor from the scourge of globalization, establishment of a genuine workers’ government and the emancipation of the working class from capitalist exploitation and wage slavery.

Workers Unite!

The working class is the most important class in society. But, labor will only be a force to reckon with at a time when labor assumes the responsibility of leading the struggle to a decent living - free from exploitation of the propertied elite.

The time has come to rally every underprivileged sector of the society, to take the bull by the head and confront the issues of today. The working class must take an active role in every political exercise presented. The backbone of the independent party must be comprised of the working class with the other marginalized sectors in solidarity.

We must organize politically.

This is our own challenge and we must vow not to shirk from it.

Our future is in our hands, in our unity, in our struggle, in our party.